Origins

Death of my nephew and niece, made me want to go away again. I began to look for land farther south. The ones I liked were unaffordable. For a wealthy man, I had little money to spend. I was too attached to my green acres even though high decibel levels around me were making me tense and restless. Most of my money was locked. My wallet was skinny.
Stories in GoodNewsIndia were more and more on the environment. I was gathering news of many endeavours, but I was too bound to what I had achieved over 26 years with the land, to be able to let go, move away and start again.
The moment in 2003, to buy land passed.
…
I started the GoodNewsIndia Foundation instead, reasoning what I can’t do myself, I will support from outside. Three foci had emerged in 2002 and have remained till now. The Foundation will give money to support …
◊ Sustainable solutions for water and its use
◊ Energy solutions based on oils derived from trees, and
◊ Making the Right to Information Act a widely used utility.
There could be other approaches, but I will stick with these three: they are my essential molecules to build a fair, new India
…
Father died on May 3, 2006. He was 89 and went in peace. Predictably, the urge to buy land and start again has returned.
But this time, there is no pathos.
I will heed the call for several other reasons:
◊My three concerns of water, energy and transparency are in deeper need of direct, personal commitment
◊I am utterly single and alone in this world and at 65, beginning to pant a bit as I run my last lap. If I don’t bite the bullet now, I never will and so, will go unfulfilled.
◊My green patch created over 26 years in Muttukkadu is marooned ever more in an emerging urban chaos. I am ready to sell out and so find the money to pay for my dream
◊Spending my money on an idea like pointReturn might be a better legacy than leaving money in the bank
◊Publishing GoodNewsIndia has taught me many lessons and shown me many ways to show-case solutions in the three areas of my concern.
◊Though I am a recluse and not a great team man, the Internet will make up for this flaw and find me friends, help and volunteers.
So I will take the jump.
…
I have had a glimpse of the bugler in the near distance wetting and readying his lips to blow me the last call. And that concentrates the mind like few other things can.

I first met Sreenivas Ghatty in 2003 in Bangalore. We were at a conference on tree based biodiesel. I actually sat in the section reserved for […]

Pointers

“Using NASA satellite data, scientists have found that groundwater levels in northern India have been declining by as much as 33 centimeters (1 foot) per year over the past decade. Researchers concluded the loss is almost entirely due to human activity.
More than 108 cubic kilometers (26 cubic miles) of groundwater disappeared from aquifers in areas of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and the nation's capitol territory of Delhi, between 2002 and 2008. This is enough water to fill Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the United States, three times.”source: Green Revolution's trail?